Picture this – one day, you can easily book a ticket to Mars just as you can book a flight to New York. As stated by Elon Musk, that future is not as distant, even though it seems we are still far from complete autonomy. The CEO of SpaceX tweeted some good news recently that within the next two years SpaceX planned to send 5 Starship to Mars.
The Big Mars Plan
Elon Musk in his plans of colonization of Mars is planning to launch five ‘capabilities’ or what can be described as five Starships – but none of these are to be manned. The goal is to test whether or not they are able to make a safe landing on the surface of Mars. If everything goes as planned, and these Starships touch down safely, SpaceX might be launching crewed (with humans on board) Mars missions within roughly four years. However, contrary to this great plan, not everything may run as smoothly as expected. Musk further said that if there will be any challenges, such as a bumpy landing, human missions may be further pushed back to another two years.
SpaceX plans to launch about five uncrewed Starships to Mars in two years.
If those all land safely, then crewed missions are possible in four years. If we encounter challenges, then the crewed missions will be postponed another two years.
It is only possible to travel from…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 22, 2024
Why Every Two Years?
Why will there be a two-year gap between the arrival of one group on Mars and the launch of the next one? This time is called the ‘Mars transfer window,’ and it occurs every 26 months, and it is the ideal season to transfer from Earth to Mars. Therefore, no matter how much SpaceX would like to, they cannot just send their rocket and spacecraft to Mars whenever they feel like it. Timing is everything.
Scaling Up: The More You Have Starships, The More Chances You Get
Now you know how it works, and let me tell you, here it gets even more exciting. Regardless of how all the Starships touch down, Musk was clear that SpaceX has no intention of slowing down. Indeed he is planning to launch more of the spaceships on Mars during each launch window. In the future, there would be thousands of Starships flying to Mars.
Mars for Everyone?
To begin with, Elon Musk does not want a couple of scientists to go to Mars, and come back. His vision is much bigger. He believes that one day, coming to Mars is not impossible in this world. It is somewhat similar to when air travel was not for everyone at the start but it later evolved to be for everyone at one point. In the future, it foresees a time where one may seek to book a for Mars as they do for another country. The ultimate goal? That will transform humans into a ‘multi-planetary’ species, with colonies on Mars. It may seem quite futuristic now, but with Musk pushing for projects like these, it will not be long before they can become a reality.
What’s Next?
This is two years before the expected Starship launches, but SpaceX is very busy in the background. However, there are difficulties awaiting us. Footing a rocket that has the ability to withstand the conditions found on Mars is no ordinary. However, SpaceX has demonstrated over and over that they love a challenge. Do you recall when they started to try to touch down rockets downwards? Others regarded that as totally improbable, and now it has become almost normal for most of them.
Final Thoughts
It can be seen from Elon Musk’s latest news at spacex that spacex is again challenging spaceflight technology. Regardless if it would take two years, four years, or even half a dozen, the day that humans will be setting foot on Mars is fast approaching.
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